Dow launched thermal gel for 5G technology

Dow introduced the Dowsil TC-3065 thermal gel, a one-part, thermally conductive gel developed to dissipate high amounts of heat away from sensitive electronic components. It easily fills gaps due to its excellent wetting ability and can replace fabricated elastomeric thermal pads that may fail to protect electronics from the high heat associated with 5G’s greater power densities. After full curing, the thermal gel eliminates silicone oil bleeding and has ultra-low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). To achieve high levels of manufacturing efficiency, the thermal gel supports automatic dispensing and heat curing after assembly. Applications for this innovative material include telecommunications and data communications equipment.

“Thermal interface materials for 5G technologies need to quickly dissipate high amounts of heat, and electronics manufacturers also need advanced material solutions that support sustainability and efficient assembly,” said Samuel Liu, marketing manager and Communication segment leader, Dow. “The Dowsil TC-3065 thermal gel provides an attractive balance of properties that checks all the boxes. This strong new addition to Dow’s growing portfolio of thermally conductive silicones can help drive the development of next-generation applications in a way that is both efficient and environmentally responsible.”

TC-3065 thermal gel is a soft, stress relieving and shock damping silicone gel with a thermal conductivity of 6.5 W/mk. It has an excellent extrusion rate (60 g/m) and supports auto-dispensing. The gel resists slumping during vertical assembly and completely fills uneven spacing. This dispensable material accommodates higher part-to-part tolerances that can challenge fabricated thermal pads with their constrained dimensions. It is supplied as a non-flowable gel and supports a bond line thickness as thin as 150 microns when high pressure is applied.

Dowsil TC-3065 thermal gel can be dispensed onto substrates such as aluminum heat sinks and encapsulated chips that have an epoxy surface. After assembly it can achieve complete curing by applying 100 °C for 30 minutes (or 80 °C for 60 minutes) or from the heat generated by the component. If rework is required, the gel can be removed completely without leaving behind a residue after curing. At room temperature, the working time or open time is generally five days, which helps reduce scrap rates during electronic assembly.

The TC-3065 thermal gel balances adhesion with re-workability to support advanced technologies that require reliable performance. Unlike some thermally conductive elastomeric pads, this new gel will not bleed silicone oil after full curing, which helps to avoid contamination of device surfaces that can degrade performance. It is resistant to humidity and other harsh environments and will not crack during long-term aging.

The gel can be used for optical transceivers, ethernet switches and routers, high-speed solid-state disks (SSD) and other network devices.